


A Little Piece of Soul

by a2h1ey



Series: Cap-Ironman Bingo (2020 Round 1) Fills [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: A Bit of Fluff, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eventual Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Steve, Hurt Tony, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lonely Tony Stark, M/M, POV Alternating, Protective Steve Rogers, Soulmate Tsums, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tsums, technically - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 08:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23348077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a2h1ey/pseuds/a2h1ey
Summary: Tony, at the age of three and two-thirds, fully learned and realized that he was the one in several billion to not have a Soulmate. Or, at least, a Soulmate that was still alive.All because his Tsum had the appearance of someone who died decades before he was born.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Cap-Ironman Bingo (2020 Round 1) Fills [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623757
Comments: 8
Kudos: 282
Collections: Captain America/Iron Man Bingo





	A Little Piece of Soul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ohjustpeachy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohjustpeachy/gifts).



> Based on [this post on Tumblr](https://omg-just-peachy.tumblr.com/post/190598900617/how-much-do-you-know-about-tsums-here-me-out) from omg-just-peachy; go check her blog out! (This story doesn't exactly follow the prompt, but I tried. *Shrugs*)
> 
> So, I said I would finish this (some months ago) but with the extra time from quarantine, it's finally done! (How are Tsum Tsums not a tag? A tragedy, really.)
> 
> And because I can, I'm also using this to claim another square in my Cap/IronMan Bingo Card: O3 - "Free Square"  
> My updated Bingo Card can be [found here.](https://i.imgur.com/Fb2Cegg.png)
> 
> Note: The quotes should be fairly easy to tell who is speaking there (like the first is obviously h*ward), but be aware there's a few times where it's purposefully ambiguous, just in case anyone gets confused by that; it's also the reason why for the "Background & Cameo Characters" tag. :)

Tony, at the age of three and two-thirds, fully learned and realized that he was the one in several billion to not have a Soulmate. Or, at least, a Soulmate that was still alive.

All because his Tsum had the appearance of someone who died decades before he was born.

Everyone had a Soulmate; the other half of their Soul, the energy of it imprinted by their matching Tsums so they took on their appearance as they grew.

Father had told him often enough how much of a failure and freak of nature he was - _“Waste of time and resources, Obadiah; should have just adopted and be done with it” -_ for being born with his Tsum fully developed as it was, for his Soulmate being dead. Soulmates had exactly the same life span; shouldn’t _he_ be dead, too?

From the time he was born, he knew something was wrong. Not with his Tsum, no - they were bits of Soul that were there to love and be loved - but with himself, for being born far too late. 

But it wasn’t his fault, was it?

He wasn’t sure what he expected when he told Father that, with his Tsum cuddled tight in his arms like a plushie - it was already big, like one of his teddy bears; yet another oddity - but he shouldn’t have expected anything less than the furious outrage Father fell into; for even daring to not take the blame of having a Soulmate who was not only gone, but one that was far more important than he would ever be.

But Stark men don’t cry - _“you really are nothing but a disgrace, aren’t you?”_ \- so he didn’t; not when Father yelled at him, not when he threw the bottle, not when he was sent sprawling on the ground and pushed away.

He didn’t cry when he sat in the bathroom, cuddling his distressed Tsum close, as Jarvis gently wrapped a bandage around his arm. He didn’t cry when he learned that Father would be gone on yet another trip to the arctic to search for the body of Captain America, and Mama would be flying out west, leaving him alone.

But in the dark of the night, when the lights were off and he only had his Cap Tsum - _“Toys are for babies, grow the fuck up already!”_ \- to comfort him in the lonely, empty mansion? 

With his Tsum nuzzling his face, making small concerned squeaky sounds, Tony let a few tears fall.

It wasn’t like anyone else would notice, would care.

Why should they, when he failed at something simple and basic like his Soulmate?

0o0o0o0o0

Steve was confused by - but still completely loyal to - his Soulmate by age four.

After all, there was no way his Soulmate was a robot, and he wouldn’t stand for anyone saying mean things about them! After all, just ‘cause his Soulmate looked like a weird robot, doesn’t mean they’s actually a 'bot!

At least, it looked kind of like a robot; it was takin’ it’s time growing and changing colors, but it was pink-ish and had weird armor-like parts to it with what looked like a mask... 

He would never admit it, but he was pretty jealous of his best friend, Bucky’s, Soulmate.

After all, his Tsum had some strange but cool clothing, like a soldier, which was pretty awesome, and was almost completely developed by now! Which was cool, and… normal. Unlike Steve's.

But then Bucky said how cool it must be to have a robot as a Soulmate, like in the books and radio shows; what if they could shoot lasers? Could see in the dark? Could _fly_? 

Besides, Mommy had said his Soulmate wasn’t bad, just gonna be extra special - _“being unique isn’t a bad thing”_ \- and she was always right.

After that Steve was feeling pretty good about his Soulmate and his Tsum.

He hoped to meet them soon; they would have so much fun together, especially if his Soulmate really could fly, robot or not! 

0o0o0o0o0

Tony was fifteen and at MIT when he went to his first ‘college party’ - that had turned out to be a terrible idea - but met his first real, true friend.

He doesn’t remember much of that night: remembers getting wasted - _“Jus' one more cup couldn’ hurt, am I right?”_ \- and feeling off; remembers cuddling Cap Tsum to his chest; remembers warm hands and arms tugging him along and his Tsum cheeping happier than ze had in a while.

For a moment, before the darkness completely took him, he wondered if he finally found his Soulmate.

It was only with the light of the day, when he woke up after relentless nudging from his Tsum, that he realized that he was obviously missing things in his memory. He wasn’t in his room, and he was alone except for a glass of water and a pill on the nightstand beside him.

Without a thought he gratefully drank the glass, soothing his parched throat, and was finally regaining some actual thought processes when the door opened, revealing an older kid, that took one look at him and told him how much of a mess he was.

Tony had never really bought the whole Soulmates thing, not after finding out that his supposed ‘other half’ was lost, dead, and gone. Made sense; if his other half was dead, then he was half dead to start with, which cleared up a lot of things.

But meeting James Rhodes - _“James is so boring though… how about Rhodey?”_ \- honestly made him reconsider, and sometimes when he was tired after a work binge, at his most vulnerable, he would trace the perfectly designed shield on his Tsum’s back, wishing it was Rhodey’s MIT sweatshirt or airforce uniform instead; wishing the colorful Tsum Rhodey had, gold dividing matte red and blue, was instead his stained white tee and jeans.

Not that Tony would ever want to shoulder Rhodey with the mess that was him and all his baggage - it was a miracle that he even wanted to be his friend - but… sometimes he still did wonder.

But that wasn’t how the cards were dealt, and Tony was soon hugging Rhodey goodbye the day he graduated and ran off to join the army - _"Airforce, Tones, say it with me: Air. Force."._

And even as he headed back to the mansion for Christmas break with his now pretty big Tsum draped on his lap, purring happily as he absently pet between the little wings on zir cowl, he couldn't help but wish his honeybear was there, if only to take his mind off of having to talk to Howard.

0o0o0o0o0

Steve was too old and too young - everyone was too old and too young - and a war was waging against an empire that was set on taking over the world.

He sighed, staring down at his overly-large hands - _“everything about you is big, Stevie; look at it this way: at least your Soulmate will enjoy it?”_ \- as they cradled his tiny Tsum, the almost metallic red and gold face staring back with a curious cheep.

It was honestly both a blessing and a curse he hasn’t met his Soulmate yet.

Blessing, because then he wouldn’t be worried about them and be distracted from his mission - his _duty_ \- or having to worry about them worrying about him in turn.

Curse, because… for all the strength the serum gave him, he wasn’t strong at all. The war, the pain, seeing Bucky captured and _tortured and_ -

No, it was better this way.

A soft nudge against his face made him blink from his thoughts, smiling down at his concerned Tsum. He gently nuzzled against zir soft fluff, taking comfort from zir in the way no one other than a Tsum could give him.

After the war, he would find his Soulmate. 

He just prayed he lived long enough to see them.

0o0o0o0o0

Tony was far too young to feel this old, to feel the cold causing creaking bones to ache and the heat to wear him down to sluggish exhaustion.

For all that desert days were hot and the nights cold, the caves were always freezing, Tony quickly learned.

And for all that he thought his younger years, living in that empty, lonely mansion under Howard’s thumb and nail was what hell was like, he’s never been more wrong.

Hell, obviously, was a constant burning pressure-pain- _ithurtsmakeitstop_ in your chest as your heart fights for the next pulse. 

Hell was someone holding your head underwater till everything started to fade - _“Stark, they’ll only keep ‘playing’ with you if you keep refusing like this”_ \- the water splashing onto the car battery that was keeping you alive and simultaneously electrocuting you from inside through a metal disk in your chest.

 _Hell_ was someone roughly grabbing hold of your Tsum, a very piece of you and your Soulmate’s Soul, and being forced to watch as they threatened to hurt it in no way a Tsum ever should be.

It was safe to say in those first few days, most breaks in between the ‘negotiating’ found Tony cradling his Tsum to his chest, comforting zir as much as ze was trying to comfort him. 

0o0o0o0o0

Steve was feeling… not old, but not young - _"children die young in a war, Cap, the same way they die from hunger and disease; you can't save everyone"_ \- as he steered the plane towards the ice.

"Guess I owe you a dance." He smiled, listening to Peggy's wet laugh.

It was a joke, now, between them; he knew Peggy's Tsum wore a formal dress outfit the female officers wore, knew whoever Peggy’s Soulmate was, they would rock the world together. But even so, it was nice to have something to smile about, at the end.

His Tsum - still as tiny and bright red and gold as ze always had been - let out a mournful chirp, cuddling close against his neck where ze rested on his shoulder. 

It was comforting, in a way, as horrible as it may seem; even through everything, his little, special Tsum was there for him, sharing a piece of his Soulmate even though he never got to meet them.

And that, more than anything, was what gripped his heart the most.

More than watching Erskine die; more than the atrocities he witnessed humanity inflict on each other; more than losing Bucky.

Never having been able to meet his Soulmate, knowing that with his death, they would also…

But it had to be done. And as the frozen waters came surging into view, his last thoughts were to his Soulmate, and how he desperately wished that things had never led to this, wished he could be forgiven for the life that would be taken with him.

0o0o0o0o0

Tony had just had his 24th birthday, and he was dying. Alone.

Not that he had expected anything less; he had no Soulmate, and had always been destined to die alone. Most of his life was spent alone, before Howard and Mama died, before Jarvis and Ana passed away, before everyone left.

Everyone kept leaving, and he always ended up alone. 

He knew that from the start. Ironically, however, he wasn’t going to die from alcohol poisoning or from being killed as Iron Man; he was going to die from the thing that was also keeping him alive.

Tony let out a drunk giggle; wasn’t there a song about that? Something about love being the most important thing you live for but also killing you at the same time…

Not that he understood any of that. 

He glanced down at his Tsum, who was desperately cuddling against his side and refused to budge even when Tony prodded zir. Being as large as a medium sized dog now, the details on zir Captain America impression were uncanny.

Running a calming hand down the Tsum’s back - even if he was in constant pain now, didn’t mean he had any right to treat his Tsum badly for it - he absently wondered what the good ol’ Cap would think of him now.

Probably the same way Rhodey and Pepper saw him, no doubt. 

He grimaced at the thought of his friends, curling even closer against the warm, soft fluff of his Tsum.

He knew what would happen with his actions; he was an expert at pushing others away, after all, didn’t even really have to try.

But it still hurt, even thinking about them. 

Pepper’s legendary patience with him finally worn out - _“Tony… I’m sorry, but I can’t play your games, I just can’t, and I won’t” -_ and Rhodey’s open disdain on how he’s been living his life recently - _“You’re out of control, Tony. And if you can’t see it, then I can’t do anything to help you, won’t even try”_.

But the important part was that they were safe. He had the will already updated - Pepper was CEO and had full control of Stark Industries, and Rhodey got a specialized suit just for him, along with many of his assets including JARVIS and the ‘bots - and they would be fine without him; no need to mourn someone who shouldn’t be alive, anyways.

His Tsum let out a sad chirp as his tears matted zir fur.

….For all that it was the way things should be - should always have been - it still hurt.

0o0o0o0o0

Steve had no concept of time, didn't know how old he was or… anything, except the bitter cold of ice.

Except it wasn’t cold.

It was… warm? And someone was talking… about a baseball game?

He felt something nudge against his cheek, letting out excited chirps. Oh, right; his Tsum.

His hand automatically went up to his Tsum, still red and gold, still as small as ever - _“you sure have one small Tsum right there, Cap; Soulmate must be hella’ tiny”_ \- as he gently lifted zir, holding zir in the cradle of his palm while he sat up and tried to make sense of what was happening.

For all that it seemed like everything was alright… something was very, very wrong.

It clicked what was wrong when someone in a nurse outfit came in.

When she tried to act faux innocent, like she wasn’t telling him lies, he knew something was horribly _wrong_ ; why would the radio be playing the exact baseball game he watched with Bucky? And the way the room felt… it just seemed too perfect, too fake.

When he ran out of the building, not paying attention to where he was going, his Tsum still secure in his palms, he skid to a stop as he took in the tall buildings surrounding him; the lights, the people, the vehicles. 

He knew New York; but as he stood there, his Tsum letting out worried cheeps where it tried to climb onto his shoulder, he found he didn’t recognize his own home.

0o0o0o0o0

Tony was nearing his thirties - how he managed to live this long was a mystery - and having gone just as long with the knowledge his Soulmate was dead.

He had made peace with that fact a long while ago; he couldn’t turn back time, and there was no point in worrying about it. 

If he very obviously lied to himself, well… only his Tsum and the ‘bots knew that. 

He had his closest friends and family in the form of Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy; he had his ‘bots and JARVIS; he was finally making some choices that actually did something _good_ and worthwhile for once in his life.

For the first time since he could remember, Tony was pretty okay with his life.

Did he have his bad days? Yes, all the time, but now he could manage them better; at least, he was told he was by the important ones in his life and mental health doctors - _“it’s normal; happens to everyone, even those without debilitating PTSD”_ \- so he’s pretty positive he’s making progress.

In a pretty good mood, Tony hummed to himself as he pet his wiggling Tsum - ze was extra excited and energetic today, hardly being able to sit still - as Happy drove them to SHIELD HQ for an ‘important meeting’ as Fury termed it; whatever that meant.

Tony yawned, looking out the window as the New York skyline raced by. 

He didn’t get much sleep last night - memories of whiskey and harsh words, dirty water and a pained chest, betrayal and dying over and over _and over_ \- but despite that… it was still turning out to be an alright day for once. 

His Tsum chirped, grabbing his attention; he couldn’t help but smile when he saw zir gently nuzzling Happy’s Tsum, impressioned in a red all-business dress, who was so small in comparison despite being average size. Ze, thankfully, seemed to have slowed down in growth; ze was still the size of a dog - _“your Tsum might just be the biggest in recorded history!”_ \- but didn’t seem to be getting much bigger. 

Which, Tony wouldn’t have minded all that much - he loved how he could just snuggle against ze during cold nights - but it would have been pretty hard to bring zir with him if ze grew any larger. He wondered why ze stopped growing all of a sudden, though...

His thoughts were interrupted when the car pulled up in front of the building. Sighing, he waved goodbye to Happy, slipped his sunglasses on, and let his Tsum bound out of the car, following close behind.

As he walked into SHIELD HQ and down the halls of the floorplan he long since memorized, he felt… off.

He couldn’t put a finger on it, but it was a strange feeling; it might have been that more agents and other people he met in the halls stared at his Tsum more than usual.

He was used to it - he had to be, what with his Tsum having the clear colors and design of Captain America, not to mention how unusually large his Tsum was, and the only option of not bringing his Tsum with him was absolutely off the table - but it seemed a lot of the staring was… with more _intent_.

Frowning, he tried to ignore the prickling feeling he got from all the staring and continued on. His Tsum must have sensed his discomfort, as ze stuck closer by his side then usual.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it to the conference room JARVIS told him via his earpiece where Fury and ‘his important guest’ were waiting for him. He opened the door, looking down to make sure his Tsum could fit through.

“Fury, you wanted something-” He barely said the words when a loud squeak - two loud squeaks - drowned out his voice.

He watched, completely lost, as his Tsum all but ran over to a man in a chair, all but clambering to get in his lap.

Simultaneously, a tiny Tsum - no bigger than his thumb, he would guess, ran right over to Tony, letting out a series of excited chirps as ze hopped around his shoes.

Almost on autopilot - because… what? - he bent down and gently scooped up the Tsum, almost startling when it’s red and gold face - that looked like… but that was _impossible_ \- snuggled up against him, loudly purring and chirping.

Tsums don’t act like that with other people except their own humans. And the Soulmates they matched.

He looked up, meeting wide, startled blue eyes from across the room.

“Well, seems to me like you have it from here.” Tony did startle then, looking up as Fury, who looked almost smug, casually walked over to the door Tony still stood frozen in front of. “I’ll contact you later. Good day, Stark; Captain.”

Tony could only blankly watch as he walked out, closing the door with a final ‘thud’.

Turning back around, the small Iron Man Tsum - because he would recognize his armor anywhere, even on a Tsum - still cradled against his chest. 

And, who only could be Steve Rogers - he’s seen the reels and comics and pictures; knows after the serum he was large and built like an Adonis - stared right back, Tony’s Tsum cuddled against his chest like ze was no bigger than his own Tsum, a million emotions flashing through brilliant blue eyes. Tony silently took in the rest of this Soulmate - and _that_ was… - with his golden blond short hair, pale yet warm colored skin, all wrapped in a SHIELD hoodie and track pants. 

Tony had no idea what to say or do.

“...Do you want to, you know, grab some lunch, or something?” He hesitantly stopped and started, feeling ridiculous and kind of stupid.

What was he supposed to say to his Soulmate that he thought was dead his whole life?

But, from the way his eyes brightened with a burgeoning hope and simple joy Tony felt growing in his own chest, the warm smile ticking up his mouth…

“I would love to.”

...Well. He had the rest of his life to figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

> BONUS: The two dorks could hardly be separated throughout their date and were ridiculously sweet and adorable. After the Tsums got plenty of snuggles out of both of the Soulmates, they couldn't be separated, either; sure to say lots of pictures were taken of little Iron Man Tsum riding around on top of big Cap Tsum. It was all cute and fluffy and extra sappy, The End.
> 
> Fun Fact: The last part was supposed to be (yet another) summarized retelling of the Battle of Manhattan, but I didn't feel like it fit here when I wrote it out, so you get this instead. 
> 
> And yes, for the curious; when the Chitauri and all that does happen, everything turns out a-okay, with the Team coming to live in the tower (along with a newly released/freed Loki) and Happy Endings All Around. 
> 
> Also was posted on my tumblr (@saraceaser) as always, hope you enjoyed reading, and have a lovely day! <3


End file.
